Lay Net Ban Protects Fish

December 4, 2005

Release from: Maui Times (Hawaii)

There are few more emotional subjects in the islands than fishing, in particular the use of entanglement nets and specifically lay gill nets.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has been wrestling with the issue – and getting conflicting testimony – for more than two years. Ocean observers, including fishermen, know that shoreline waters are being depleted and one of the most wasteful techniques involves the lay net, a curtain of nylon mesh hung over or near reefs and left untended.

The nets are designed to snag anything that swims into them. Too often users of the lay gill nets set them at sunset and drag them up at dawn, dumping “trash fish,” which are alive, dying or dead, back into the water.

Partly due to confusion over what kind of nets are being discussed and partly due to local fishermen feeling others are telling them what they can and cannot do, bringing the destructive lay nets under control has been a political nightmare for Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairman Peter Young.

Last week, he told a sharply divided audience of 110 Mauians that the DLNR is working on a proposal to ban lay nets – not throw, scoop, akule or surround nets – and just lay nets in the waters around Maui. The ban, which involves passing statewide regulations, would allow lay net fishing off Molokai, Lanai, Kauai and some areas off Oahu. West Hawaii already has a system for controlling the use of lay nets.

Young told The Maui News that he and the governor want to conclude the debate over lay nets. He said he would like to see the proposed ban in effect by next summer.

It can’t come too soon. As Edwin Lindsey said at the meeting – and it’s important for everyone in the islands – “Without fish, no more Hawaiian culture.” Without a ban on lay nets and better enforcement of all fishing regulations, Maui is likely to have barren reefs and no one wants that.

The West Hawaii regulations have resulted in more fish for everyone, including the tourist trade, which wants to look more than eat. Marine life is vital to the future of Maui, both as a home and as a resort destination. Banning only lay nets will allow subsistence fishing and protect our nurseries of the sea.